For everyone that chooses to go, going to university is a big thing.
The entire process changes your life.. the moving away, the meeting of new people, starting a course on a topic you’re actually interested in. It’s big, it’s exciting, but it’s also one of the scariest and most overwhelming times of your life, especially for your mental health.
For some people, going to university really is just too much. The pressure to constantly do well in your academic studies, while attempting to balance a social life at uni, a social life at home, and keep track of your money, can have serious affects on your mental health.
In UK universities between 2015 and 2016, over 15,000 first year students reported that they had a mental health problem, compared to around 3,000 in 2006.
This ever-growing number is crippling to think about, and it worsens as we learn that there’s 1 student taking their own life every 4 days.
For some, the easiest option is to drop out.
Andy Macnab dropped out of university back in December, as his mental health was having an incredibly negative impact on his life.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz84bmNUwUI]
But as student mental health declines, the question is “what’s being done about this?”.
At universities up and down the country, a vast range of support is being offered.
At Teesside uni alone, there’s a constant supply of support for students both living away, and living at home.
The Student Union offers a student support service that is available throughout the week. If you need help on housing, finance, academic issues, mental health, or anything in-between, student support advisers are there.
You can book in for a 30 minute appointment by contacting them via email (suss@tees-su.org.uk), phone (01642 342247) or just popping into the SU.
Teesside uni also offers a professional counselling service, which is easily accessible via a drop-in service, or by email (counselling@tees.ac.uk).
More information about the student support service is available on the SU website, and more information about the counselling service is available here.
